November 13, 2012

A New Set Of Directions For Exoplanet Hunting

The search for planets around other stars might have gotten a little easier now that a Lowell Observatory astronomer and her colleagues have developed a set of directions, per se, to aid others in the hunt for exoplanets.

Publishing their work in the journal Astrophysical Letters, Evgenya Shkolnik and her collaborators examined new and existing data from known stars and brown dwarfs that are less than 300 million years old, as determined from strong X-ray emission readings. The team identified more than 140 young targets for exoplanet searches, with no less than 20 very strong candidates.

Shkolnik and her team carefully examined the age of the stars they tracked down using spectroscopic data and measuring the motions of stars. Since low-mass stars are small and dim, they make ideal candidates for directly imaging any potential planets around them. And young stars make the process even easier since young planets would still be hot and bright. The team added that knowing the age of the system allows for characterizations of the planet itself beyond initial detection.

Bowler said in a statement that “low-mass stars are the most common type of star in our galaxy,” and these environments are the most likely place to find planets. “Finding young versions of these stars to search for planets is fundamental to understanding the galactic census of exoplanets.”

“These young stars help point the way. And if the Jupiter-mass planets are there, we will find them,” added Dr. Shkolnik.